Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation has fast-tracked road work in NIBM Annexe area after TOI reported on Monday about commuters’ problems in travelling through the stretch because of potholes and slush on the incomplete road. “Complete stretch of the concrete road has been laid out now from Raheja Circle till Ghule Patil Chowk. Only one or two small portions remain to be completed, and work on the same will be initiated soon.
However, it will take some time to complete the work. Since the rain has subsided a bit, we have increased the pace of work.One side of the existing road has been cleared of mud to allow movement of vehicles.
Also, some potholes have been filled,” Gautam Gavand, a junior engineer with PMC’s road department, said. Last week, TOI had highlighted the pathetic condition of roads in the once quiet locality due to ongoing road projects and about lack of any steps taken by the civic body to plug the increasing number of potholes. Continuous movement of heavy construction vehicles had caused mud and slush to spread, thus making the road extremely slippery.
“A part of the concrete road which we have constructed on the same stretch has been opened to divert traffic. Now, vehicles from NIBM Road can use that road while those going towards NIBM can use the existing stretch. This will ensure that traffic can run a bit smoothly.
Earlier, traffic from both sides merged on the existing road stretch, leading to heavy traffic,” another civic body official said. Jaymala Dhankikar, a resident of Ganga Kingston Housing Society, said that while some work was done, it was not enough. “What about planning for drainage system? Water has been seeping into the roads from several points.
What has the PMC done about it? They need to find a solution to this, or else later they will again dig up the constructed road. This area needs more care and focus,” she said. Pramod Shete, another resident living in the Raheja Vista Housing Society, agreed.
“This is just patchwork, which won’t really work. Moreover, a large part of the road stretch from Eliza Living Housing Society till Raheja Circle is still in a mess. The same can be said about the road going towards the Royal Heritage Mall and the one going towards Imperial Towers.
These roads, too, need immediate relief from potholes and drainage water,” he said. Another resident of Imperial Towers said that PMC needed to focus on interior roads of the area too as they were in bad shape. “The road from the Royal Heritage Mall towards the Raheja Circle is in poor state.
This is also a sloping road, and it has become risky of late due to heavy movement of construction vehicles, potholes, waterlogging, etc,” she said. Residents claimed construction, as well as encroachment, had reduced actual carriageway. Movement of heavy vehicles like trailers and earthmoving machines had deteriorated the stretch.
“There are three major road projects under way in the area — from Cloud 9 forest area to Raheja Circle, from Raheja Circle to Kad Chowk and from Raheja Circle to Krushnanagar. All these are concrete roads with different construction methods. We have to construct roads in patches and leave them for some time so that cracks do not appear.
We cannot provide residents with an alternative road,” a civic official had earlier said..
